IPL 2019: Match 27, MI vs RR Match Prediction: Who will win tomorrow's match?
We are moving towards the halfway mark. Barring Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who are on the top of the table with 12 points, five other teams are involved in the mid-table muddle.
After suffering five losses out of their first six games, Rajasthan Royals (RR) now travel to Mumbai for an away game against the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium.
The Ajinkya Rahane-led side have had a hard time in the last few games. They have lost games from good positions where they could sense victory. Quite a few games panned out that way for them. In fact, their only win of the tournament came against the bottom-placed Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians (MI) have been on a roll after yet another slow start. They lost two out of their first three games but then have won three on the bounce and are looking good. They got out of jail in the last game as Kieron Pollard’s freak innings of 83 off 31 balls which included 10 sixes pushed them over the line against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP).
Rajasthan will be desperate for a win and will want to revive their campaign, On the other hand, Mumbai will be looking to surge ahead on the points table and continue their winning momentum.
If Mumbai Indians bat first:
Mumbai Indians have a strong batting line-up but it hasn’t really fired in unison in this tournament. They’ve had one player bailing them out on multiple occasions and quite a few have contributed together in pieces. However, they will be happy with the way things have gone in the last three games.
Rohit Sharma might return to the XI after he missed the last game as a precautionary measure. Hence, that should bolster the top order. Meanwhile, Quinton de Kock and Suryakumar Yadav have looked in good touch. The middle-order has done decently too with the Pandya brothers chipping in and Kieron Pollard showing blazing form in the last game.
Hence, with the Wankhede track expected to be a belter, if Mumbai bat first, we could be in for run-fest and scores in excess of 180 can be expected.
If Rajasthan Royals bat first:
The Rajasthan Royals batting line-up has blown hot and cold in the last couple of games. Batting first, they haven’t been able to get going and hence, have finished with under-par totals. They have tended to rely heavily on Jos Buttler to give them good starts at the top of the order. His form has been patchy this season.
Moreover, Ajinkya Rahane and Steve Smith haven’t really hit their straps yet. On the other hand, Sanju Samson has been in and out due to injury while Ben Stokes hasn’t really fired as well. Hence, the batting has tended to struggle. But the pitch at Wankhede should aid free-flowing batting and shots on the up. Hence, RR might well score in excess of 165-170 if they bat first.
Match Prediction:
Both teams are at opposite ends of the spectrum as far as the points table is concerned. Mumbai have started to build nice momentum here and seem to have got on a roll. Rajasthan are losing games from strong positions. Also, the game is at the Wankhede Stadium which tilts the balance in MI’s favour if it wasn’t already. They are a tough side to beat at home and given the form, MI should prevail in this contest.
Follow Sportskeeda for all the updates on IPL live score, purple cap, points table, schedule, news, orange cap and fantasy tips.